The Dark Divine Review

Title: The Dark Divine (The Dark Divine #1)

Author: Bree Despain

Publication Date: July 5, 2010

Published By: Egmont Books

Format: Paperback, 384 pages

*I purchased this book*

Summary

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared—the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in blood—but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held. 

The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school. Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry, glint in his eyes. 

The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night. Grace must discover the truth behind the boys' dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves. But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it—her soul.

My Thoughts

This books was really, really good. I fell in love with the all of the characters instantly, especially Daniel. He's seems your typical artsy, broody type but there is a lot more going on. His struggle between doing the right thing and following his instincts is heart wrenching and when you add his shady past you can't help but want to reach into the pages give him a huge hug and tell him everything will work out. He is just a genuinely fantastic character. Grace is no less amazing, your typical daughter of the pastor type, when Daniel returns to her life and stirs up a bunch of old feelings she's caught between living up to the family name and maintaining her reputation or helping a friend in need despite everyone's warnings and the incident with her older brother. Which causes some serious family strain. The struggle these two face feels so real and if you stripped away the paranormal elements it could be.
So much of the book is steeped in mystery that keeps you page turning all night, which I totally did. Every time you get a clue and think you have it figured something else doesn't add up. What is Daniel? What happened between Jude and Daniel? What is this cure? Can Grace figure this out? Why his her dad acting so weird? It's infuriating and engrossing all at the same time. Then there's the ending, like holy crap, really? I won't say anymore else on that you'll have to read it and figure that one out on your own, which I urge you to do. The Dark Divine gets 5 well deserved stars out of 5.